SAP AG on Wednesday unveiled a service that evaluates security settings across a customer's SAP enterprise system.

SAP Security Optimization helps customers identify and fix vulnerabilities, and minimize the risk of unauthorized intrusion, officials with the German maker of enterprise resource planning systems said.

Security threats have increased as companies open up their SAP systems to employees and business partners working outside corporate firewalls, the company said. Exacerbating the problem further is the prevalence of online shops and customer-service web interfaces.

The new service, which is performed remotely by SAP, searches for vulnerabilities throughout an enterprise's SAP landscape, from applications and middleware to Internet gateways, interfaces to partners' systems and user authorizations.

Following a one to two-day evaluation, customers receive an analysis of security gaps and vulnerabilities, which are prioritized by severity and probability of an exploit. The service also offers plans for closing the threats.

SAP Security Optimization, which is currently available, is part of SAP Active Global Support's portfolio of customer services.